A group of former Ubisoft Barcelona developers has founded a new independent studio. Dark Ritual Studios, based in Barcelona and led by Myles Kerwin, is positioning itself as a deliberate alternative to large-scale AAA development.
The announcement follows recent layoffs at Ubisoft Barcelona that affected 51 employees. Several of those who left have now come together to form the new company. In comments shared through industry coverage, Kerwin described the experience of working inside a major publisher as a lesson in how difficult it can be to remain agile. That experience, he said, reinforced the belief that strong games do not always require enormous teams and that the complexity of multi-studio AAA production can slow creative decisions.
Dark Ritual Studios is built around the opposite approach. The team intends to stay small and experienced, with clear creative ownership, faster decision-making, and an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than scale. Kerwin has framed the studio’s strategy as keeping the group lean, the scope realistic, and the budgets under control with priorities that reflect both the current state of the industry and the founders’ direct experience inside a large organization.
The studio’s first project is already underway. Puzzle Mage is a top-down dark fantasy point-and-click puzzle game in which players ascend a magical tower filled with spell-based environmental challenges. The game has secured funding and has surpassed 1,000 wishlists on Steam. Its presence on the platform gives the new studio an early public foothold while development continues.
Kerwin has indicated that Dark Ritual is not currently seeking additional investment. The team is still evaluating whether self-publishing or partnering with a publisher will be the better long-term path. That measured stance aligns with the studio’s broader emphasis on controlled scope and sustainable operations rather than rapid expansion.
The formation of Dark Ritual fits a recognizable pattern in the current industry. Several successful independent studios in recent years have been started by developers who left large publishers, taking with them experience in production, design, and shipping while deliberately choosing smaller team sizes and tighter creative focus.
Sandfall Interactive, another studio founded by former Ubisoft staff and responsible for the breakout success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is frequently cited as an example of what that path can produce. Dark Ritual is explicit about aiming for a similar model: well-executed games with clear identities, developed by a team that can move ideas from discussion to implementation without the layers of coordination required in AAA.
Ubisoft Barcelona itself had recently contributed to Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a release that earned strong critical scores and stood as one of the higher-rated entries in the franchise in years. The layoffs at the studio nevertheless went ahead, continuing a period of restructuring across parts of Ubisoft. For the developers who left and formed Dark Ritual, the new studio represents a chance to apply lessons learned inside that system while operating under very different constraints.
Starting an independent studio in the present climate carries obvious risks. Costs, discovery, and the need to ship something compelling with limited resources remain significant challenges. Kerwin has acknowledged the broader turbulence while pointing to the number of smaller studios that have built sustainable businesses by staying focused. Dark Ritual’s early decisions and securing funding for a first game with a defined concept, limiting team size, and postponing further fundraising suggest an attempt to apply those lessons from the outset.
Puzzle Mage will serve as the first public test of the studio’s approach. A point-and-click puzzle game set in a dark fantasy tower is a contained concept that can be developed and iterated by a small team without requiring the scope of an open-world or live-service project. Success would give Dark Ritual credibility and resources for future work. A more difficult reception would test the studio’s ability to adjust while remaining lean.
For now, the studio exists as a clear statement of intent from a group of developers who left a major publisher and chose to build something smaller on their own terms. Dark Ritual Studios has funding, a first game in progress, and a stated philosophy centered on speed of iteration and craftsmanship. Whether that approach can deliver a distinctive and successful title will be answered as Puzzle Mage moves closer to release. The founders have already made their central bet: that a small, experienced team with clear ownership can move faster and create more focused games than the large-scale systems they left behind.